


Before we're too Far Gone

by sweetsuesparrow



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M, ben and armitage meet as teens, grudging cooperation to romance, swashbuckling adventure and tragedy ensue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-03-26 22:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsuesparrow/pseuds/sweetsuesparrow
Summary: Armitage Hux isn't running away.  He's on a mission, perhaps the most important mission of his life: to find his missing mother.  Ben Solo is absolutely running away.  All his life he has been told that his destiny is to be a Jedi, but something inside him knows that isn't his path.  Escaping his uncle's academy might be the only way to learn what his true calling is.When the two cross paths, they are quickly forced to become accomplices, working together to elude the First Order and Ben's worried parents.  What they learn while on the run will make them question everything they know about the galaxy and themselves.  Can they change the paths they've been set on, or is their fate already set in stone?





	1. Chapter 1

 

ARMITAGE

At seventeen years old, Armitage served as a junior officer, an ensign aboard the _Finalizer_.This, as he was constantly reminded, was the very position his father, Brendol Hux had held during the Clone Wars when he was just a few years older than Armitage was now.A position from which, the old man liked to say, he had climbed through hard work and natural talent to the rank of general.But, to the younger Hux, all it meant was that he could be ordered around by anybody, and shuffled around the ship to any higher-ranking officer who needed an aide or an underling.He didn’t feel like he was climbing anywhere and his father felt the same way.Brendol wasted no time in reminding his son that he was, as always, a disappointment, stagnating in the ranks when he should be a rising star.He chastised him so often that Armitage thought he ought to save his breath and assign a trooper to the task.Maybe several troopers on a rotating schedule, just to be sure.

If there was one good thing about his position, it was that it sometimes took him off the ship and out of the Unknown Regions.Whenever he had the chance, he volunteered for assignments which could take him off that wretched hunk of metal, even if it meant doing especially boring or menial labor.And so Armitage had spent the last two days aiding Commander Aquila with some difficult negotiations with a band of pirates in the Outer Rim.It wasn’t a terribly exciting matter.The pirates had looted some old imperial tech and were trying to sell it to the Order at an unreasonable price.Most of the proceedings thus far had been formalities, niceties to earn the trust of the pirates and gain an audience with the captain.Today was the first day they were actually negotiating face to face in a conference room on the neutral territory of Scelerus Station.

“And why should we pay anything for some outdated scrap metal,” the commander was arguing.She was a very small woman with a very large presence and she had never failed to secure favorable terms for the Order before. 

“Because,” the pirate captain said, “this scrap metal hasn’t had its memories wiped in over a decade.It’s full of Imperial secrets that the New Republic hasn’t even guessed at, things they’d pay twice this much to get their hands on.”

Armitage saw Aquila shift in her seat ever so slightly.She was intrigued…or afraid.

“The First Order isn’t the Empire, captain, why should we have any interest in protecting its secrets?”

“You’re right, you aren’t the Empire, but some of your people are… shall we say recurring characters?Some of these files contain the names of every single Imperial operative in the galaxy.Are they all defunct now?And your leaders too… would your general Hux be content to let his secrets become public knowledge… even if they are a few years old?”

At this, it was Armitage’s turn to perk up.

“We want to see it first,” said the commander, “before we pay you anything.Let my associate and I inspect the inventory and verify its origin or we won’t give you a single credit.”

“Deal.”Said the pirate captain.He grinned, his alien face contorting grotesquely as if his own species wasn’t quite made for smiling.

Aquila, Armitage, and an escort of three troopers were ushered onto a shuttle and taken to the pirate’s ship.Both officers were on edge and even the troopers seemed uneasy behind their helmets.From the moment he stepped onto the shuttle Armitage kept his had on the blaster at his side and a steady, disdainful gaze on the pirates.He tried to project confidence, but his mind was reeling.What did the pirates have on his father?What secrets did Brendol Hux have hidden away? 

“Hux,” the commander whispered almost imperceptibly as they disembarked the shuttle, “take this, stick it somewhere in their hold.If it comes to it, we can use it to blow the whole place.There is a control in each of our datapads.”She pressed a small disk into his hand.Commander Aquila always got the Order a favorable result one way or another.

From the shuttle the officers and their escort were led into the pirate’s massive cargo hold which was, indeed, full of old imperial tech.Computer consoles, droids, datapads —a graveyard of screens and wires and metal plates. 

“Take a look around,” the captain said, “you’ll find we have quite the collection.”

Commander Aquila nodded at Armitage to go. 

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me where you found all this, Captain?”She said.

“Oh here and there, crashed ships, abandoned bases, Arkanis, Jakku… it would amaze you the things that people leave behind when their regime is collapsing.”

Armitage moved through the maze of objects.He wanted to be sure he wasn’t being watched before he planted the device.He scanned the room, looking for some secluded corner, and his eyes fell on a startlingly familiar sight.It was an old nanny-droid — _his_ old nanny-droid NT-41 (as a child he had called her Aunty).He was sure it was the same droid, even down to the scorch marks on her chest from the time he had shot her with his father’s blaster at six years old.His father had given him a thrashing for it but he had seen the surprise in the man’s eyes when he hit her from across the room.He crept closer to the old droid.It had been so long since he’d thought of Arkanis, of his life there. It was one of those things which it didn’t do to dwell on.Too sentimental.But seeing this droid here, covered in a shroud of dust, stirred something in him.He reached out to brush a little of the dust off its face. 

The moment his fingers met metal, the droid’s eyes lit up.Armitage recoiled, stumbling over a computer console and nearly losing his balance. 

“Armitage Hux,” the droid looked at him with her unblinking eyes.“You have grown.”

“Shhh!”He hissed.The pirates didn’t seem to have noticed the re-activated droid and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Who taught you to talk to your Aunty that way?”The droid scolded him.“What kind of young man have you grown into?”

Despite the peril and the absurdity of the situation, he felt chastened.“I’m sorry,” he said, “but you must keep your voice down.We aren’t in friendly territory.”

“All right,” said the droid, her voice softer, “I have modulated my voice-level to bedtime mode.”

“What are you doing here, Aunty?” whispered Armitage, “You aren’t military tech.What would the pirates want with you?”

“I doubt they know what my function is.I suspect they just collected everything left behind at the academy.Or perhaps they just want me for parts.” 

Armitage’s heart twinged a little at that.Aunty had practically raised him.True, she was cold and efficient and he didn’t think she had the capacity to care about him, not really, but she had always looked after him. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, but he could hear the voices of commander Aquila and the pirate captain drawing nearer.“I have to go.”

“Before you do, I have one final task to preform.I was given a message for you, many years ago.I did not think I would have the chance to deliver it.I sense that I will not have time to play it for you here before we are discovered.It may not play at all as the drive was badly damaged when my captors were rooting around in my hardware.”A slot slid open on her chest, and a little, badly dented drive popped out.

“A message?”Armitage asked, taking the drive and examining it, “From who?”

“I believe it is from your mother” said the droid. 

“My…” he stared down at the drive in his hands.He had a whole universe of questions on the tip of his tongue, but he could hear the approaching footsteps of the pirates and his superior.“Thank you, Aunty,” he said, patting the old droid on the shoulder and ever so gently sticking on the commander’s device.“You’ve served me well.”

“Be a good boy now” said the droid before appearing to power herself off.

Armitage had just enough time to tuck the drive into his pocket and turn around to pretend to examine a cracked computer console before the pirate captain rounded the corner.

“So, officers,” the captain held out his arms “what do you think of our collection?”

“Impressive,” said Armitage, turning and striding back toward the commander.He made eye contact with the woman, nodding a tacit confirmation that he had planted her device.

“First Oder command will be very interested to hear about your collection,” she said, giving Armitage the tiniest of smiles, “Ensign Hux and I shall return to our ship and deliver our report.Once we have spoken with our commanding officers we will be in touch.I’m sure we can come to an agreement that will be favorable for everyone involved.” 

“Of course”The pirate captain nodded.His face was calm but there was something menacing in his gaze.“But do not stall too long, officers.There are always other bidders on the market.”

“I promise you, captain, you will hear from us by tomorrow.”Commander Aquila shook the captain’s hand and motioned for Armitage to follow her.“Now, if you wouldn’t mind sending us back to Scelerus Station…“

After he had written up his report, Armitage carefully locked the door to his quarters and one by one manually disabled all of the cameras in the room.Only when he was sure he could not be spied on did he plug the drive into his personal console.There was a single file on the drive, a short recording.He paused a long moment before he played the holovid. 

Though he couldn’t explain it, he felt as if he was teetering on the edge of a great precipice.He had never known his mother, had no memories of her.His father had always said she was dead, that she had died giving birth to him and it did not do to dwell on the past.He had imagined her a million times a million different ways, as an Arkanisian noble-woman or a fellow Imperial officer or aforeign dignitary.He knew his father had already had a wife, that he and Armitage’s mother couldn’t possibly have been in love.He didn’t really believe in love, certainly not for someone like Brendol Hux.But when he was young and naive he had made up stories, tragic, epic romances, imagining a woman so kind and loving that she could melt even his father’s icy heart.As his finger lingered over the button, he was wavering at the edge of something deeper than he could have imagined.And then he pressed it.

A holograph of a woman in a long black dress appeared in the room.The image was damaged and low-quality, but she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.She had a gentle, freckled face which wore a mournful smile.Her hair was pulled back in a loose braid and draped over her shoulder and she played with it anxiously while she spoke.He had no memory of this woman and yet he was sure he had seen her before. 

“Hello Armitage,” she said.The audio quality was terrible, crackling, broken, but her voice, Armitage thought, though he barely knew the meaning of the word, was kind.“I don’t have very much time.Not enough time to say everything I’d like.You won’t—you won’t recognize me but I’m your mother.They took you away from me the moment you were born but I’ve tried to keep an eye on you—to look after you in whatever way I can.But now you’re going somewhere I can’t follow.Wherever your father is taking you, I know he won’t take me too.But maybe this message wi—“ 

Her image degraded, flickering in and out of existence like some ghostly apparition.“…t know that I love you, more than anything.Wherever you a…ope you’re happy.I hope you grow up to be a good man.Bet…your father.He…I hope one day you’ll know that.When you do —if you can— please, love…t out of there while you still can.Find someplace safe.Somewhere wh…reach you. If I were able I would…k you in myself—raise you right.I promise I would.But I…t.I don’t have the…protect you from th…or the…”It was hard to tell with the crackling audio but it sounded like someone was shouting something off-camera.The woman —Armitage’s mother— looked over her shoulder anxiously.“I have to go.I’m sorry…o sorry Armitage.Find Mara…ake you in—hide you if you need it. I hope we’ll meet again one day, but—but if we don’t, I…” 

The image froze on her face, her mouth open, her eyes wide, her fingers entwined with her hair.She looked sad, and frightened, and angry all at once. 

It was only when the hologram cut out entirely that Armitage became aware of the fact that there were tears on his face.He wiped them away at once, as if his father might burst in at any moment and chastise him for it.His father…suddenly the very thought of Brendol Hux made him sick.The man had hidden this—had hidden _her_ away from him for so long.Why?But he knew why.Loving mothers don’t breed good soldiers.But understanding the logic didn’t make him like it anymore. 

He clenched his fists so hard he felt his nails break flesh.He had never been the impetuous type before but everything was different now, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing now that he knew about his mother.What if she was still out there, waiting for him?He had to find her, to meet her and if nothing else to show her that he had grown up all right.She would be so proud of him.He could hardly imagine what that might feel like, to have a parent be proud of him.Then he could return to the Order, more sure and capable than he had ever been before, because knowing where he came from, he was sure, was all he needed to achieve the future he deserved. 

He paced for hours that night, and didn’t sleep a wink.He talked himself into and out of a dozen different plans.He could confront his father about it (there was no way the man would be honest, not if he had been willing to lie to Armitage for so long), he could run away (suicide), he could hire a bounty hunter (risky and expensive).He let the holo-vid play on repeat as he paced.Squinting at the low-grade image he thought the fabirc of her dress looked expensive, her posture refined.If she was wealthy —a noblewoman or a politician— there might be some record of her someplace.If only the First Order didn’t keep such close tabs on its holo-net (again, he understood the logic but it made doing illicit research terribly risky).And besides, she had never given him a name to search.

Though he was no closer to having a plan when his alarm went off hours later, something had shifted in him.On some subconscious level he had already accepted that he was going to do something treasonous.For the first and only time in his life, Armitage Hux was going to rebel.


	2. Chapter 2

BEN

Ben had been planning to steal a ship for months now.He had everything worked out. There was a town about five klicks away from the Jedi Temple, over the hills to the South and once every ten cycles a one-man cargo ship would come in and deliver goods to the town’s general store.After unloading his ship, the captain would go to the local cantina, where he would stay for about an hour.That was when Ben would make his move.He had learned how to slice into a ships controls from his father (‘in case of emergencies’ Han had explained with a wink) and he was confident once he powered up the cargo ship he would have no problem flying it.He liked to say he could fly anything. 

The only thing holding him back now was his will.Stealing a ship and running away from his training certainly wasn’t the Jedi way.The part of him that wanted to be a good Jedi, that still believed he had what it took to be a good Jedi, had kept him rooted in his training and his routine for weeks after he had made up his mind to run away.That will to stay grew weaker every day.His training had hit a wall.He knew it, his uncle knew it, all of his peers knew it.He was strong with the Force but he could not control it, couldn’t refine it the way a Jedi must. 

A thought had crept in, or maybe it had always been there, that he simply was not meant to be a Jedi.There were other paths for someone like him.When he thought about it, he could never remember ever actually deciding he wanted to be a Jedi.At some point, his uncle had taken his parents aside and they had had a whispered conversation, and when they had come back, his father was silent and angry and his mother had told him that he was going away to learn how to be a Jedi like his uncle.She had asked him if he wanted to go but he knew that it wasn’t really a choice.Leaving though, that would be his choice.And, he told himself, he could always come back.

Even as he slipped out of his hut that morning he wasn’t sure that he would go.He had packed a bag the night before with a medkit, a few protein packs, and all the credits he had (about a hundred, all told).He thought about writing a note —to his uncle Luke, to his parents, he wasn’t sure— but decided against it.It would be easier for everyone involved to make a clean break.With his lightsaber at his side and a cloak covering his robes, Ben set off into the unknown. 

He cleared the top of the hill just as the sun was rising and made his way down into the town.It would be another hour before his ship arrived and longer than that before the captain would be gone.Ben must have made this trip a dozen times before while he was planning his escape, but today was different and his reluctant legs seemed to know this.He lurked near the landing strip where the ship would dock and began steeling himself for the journey to come. 

After months of planning, he was here, poised on the edge of adventure.The right to explore had been denied to him for his whole life, he told himself, and by parents who had spent their own youths involved in the resistance or in crime.Neither of them would have submitted to be trapped in the Jedi academy.Even his uncle, Master Skywalker, had never actually attended a place like this.None of them could fault him for leaving —or if they did they would all be hypocrites. 

By the time the ship arrived, Ben had talked himself up, he had banished the last doubt from his mind.He was ready.As the captain began unloading his cargo with the help of the general store owner, Ben slipped along the dock, close enough to hear the two men chatting as they moved the last of the crates from the cargo bay to a hoverlift. 

“Where’re you off to next, then?”The shopkeeper asked. 

“Scelerus Station.Got another pick up.Figure I’ll get a room and catch some sleep while I’m there and deliver the goods after that.”

“Been years since I’ve been out to Scelerus Station.Last time I was there they had the best dancers in the Outer Rim.They had this one Twi’lek girl…”

“You telling me this to try and bum a ride?”

“Not if you’re going to be piloting in the state you usually leave the cantina.”

“Ah but that’s my secret,” the captain said, giving the ship a pat as the cargo bay doors slid shut, “this girl’s got autopilot.I could be out cold and she’d still get me there in good time.”

The two men’s banter faded into the distance as they walked away toward the general store.Ben eyed the control panel on the cargo bay doors.It was passcode locked but he had seen the captain punch it in enough times to have it memorized.Once he was sure the captain had finished at the general store and was on his way to the cantina, he checked his surroundings once more before slipping up to the ship and typing in the code.He didn’t so much as glance over his shoulder as he strode into the cargo bay and closed the doors behind him.

Once in the ship’s cockpit, Ben perused the controls on the dashboard.They looked heavily modified, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.It would hurt his pride to use the autopilot, but from what he had overheard, Scelerus Station sounded like fun.When he had planned his escape, he hadn’t actually _planned_ it very far beyond the point where he got the ship.He wanted an adventure, some kind of quest that would test his metal and show him his place in the world.A seedy space station seemed as good a place as any to begin. 

Of course, first he would have to get off the ground.Never in his life had Ben seen a ship’s dashboard so heavily modified.It looked as if nearly all of the original controls had been moved or replaced in what was clearly an amateurish fashion.Only a smuggler would need so many strange modifications. Whatever purposes these buttons and switches might serve, they made the dash incredibly confusing. 

His assent was a stomach-churning, panic-inducing ride straight up as he frantically threw switches and hammered buttons.He shouted curses the whole way up, at the ship, the captain who had modified it, at his uncle for keeping him at the Jedi temple for so long and letting him get out of practice, and at himself for running away.By the time he cleared the atmosphere, his curses had turned into near-hysterical laughter.Ben could feel his heart pounding, faster than it had in years.It was incredible. 

Once he was in the vacuum of space, the turbulence ceased but his heart was still going.There was a part of him, a small part, that thought of how proud his father would be if he were here now.He’d try and hide it of course, act stern in front of his wife, but there would be a gleam in his eyes that betrayed him.The thought was gone as quick as it had come.There would be plenty of time to think about his parents’ reactions when they realized he was gone.Ben punched the ship into hyperspace, leaving his worries, his nostalgia, and the Jedi academy behind.

Hyperspace had always seemed to exist out of time.The light of the stars stretched out to infinity as the galaxy sped by at a pace beyond comprehension.Ben wouldn’t have known how long it took him to reach Scelerus Station if it wasn’t for the charts he consulted and the eye he kept on the fuel gauge. 

He would need to refuel or switch ships soon. He figured if Scelerus Station was any kind of hub it must have a fuel depot.He could refuel when he got there. Then there was the matter of how he would pay for the fuel.All told he had about one hundred credits, barely enough to fill up, and he’d need the money to fuel himself too.He assured himself he could steal all the food he would need, maybe even get a little extra cash to keep him going.He was breaking the Jedi Code anyway, why not go all the way?There was something undeniably appealing about the prospect of indulging these base instincts, these desires for cash and food and adventure. 

His uncle would say that was the way of the Sith, the surest path to the Dark Side.This, Ben thought, was utter bantha shit.It was natural to crave these things.He was sixteen years old, young and powerfuland the galaxy was at his fingertips who in his position wouldn’t do what he was doing?

As he came out of hyperspace and Scelerus Station appeared before him, he felt his throat tighten with anxiety and exhilaration.This was no seedy, back-system space station, it caught the eye like a gas giant, a glowing tower, perhaps thirty stories tall lit from within with neon light and encircled by bridges connecting it to what appeared to be external parking structures.Ships ringed the station like an astroid belt in a slow orbit in or out of the many landing ports.Ben wasted no time (and no fuel) in finding a place to land.As a droid guided his entrance into a cavernous parking structure, Ben checked his clothes one more time.His cloak did a fine enough job of hiding his robes but if this adventure was going to last longer than a day he was going to need a better disguise.His parents had friends and enemies across the galaxy and he couldn’t risk one of them spotting him.

As Ben exited the ship he found the droid waiting for him.It was a small, orb-shaped thing with two glowing arms for directing ships and a number of buttons and slots on its body.

“The parking fee is thirty-five credits.”It said, a slot opening on its front.

Grudgingly, Ben counted out his money.If everything was going to be this expensive he would definitely have to resort to stealing soon. 

“Thank you.For an additional one hundred credits we can provide your vessel with fuel and maintenance.”

“Um…” Ben needed that fuel but he’d need money first.“I'll consider it.  But not now.”  


“Yes sir.And have you come to Scelerus Station for business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure?”He hoped the droid wasn’t programed to pick up on how anxious he was.“Can I go now?”

“Excellent, sir.Very good.Here is your parking chip,” a small silver disk slid out of another slot.When you are finished with your stay, present the chip to the shuttle driver and you will be returned to your vessel.Would you like any additional assistance?”

“No.No thank you.” 

Ben started to walk away but he heard the droid follow him.

“Can I interest you in any recommendations?Scelerus Station has many attractions to choose from.”

“I’ll just go,” he said, picking up the pace.

“Very good, sir.Enjoy your stay!” 

But Ben was already hurrying off.As he left the parking structure and boarded a crowded shuttle to the station proper, he felt an incredible lightness come over him.He was blending in with the crowd, feeling their energy humming around him.He felt more in touch with the force in that moment than he ever had at the academy.He was free, now all he had to do was think of a plan. 

“Did you see that shuttle in the landing port?”A man somewhere behind Ben was saying to his friend.“First Order.I’m serious.”

“Please,” a woman’s voice scoffed, “the First Order?Here?They’re a bunch of fringe weirdos, I doubt they ever leave the Unknown Regions.Maybe you should lay off the holo-net conspiracy theories.”

“I’m serious!It was one of theirs!I heard one of the waiters at the cantina saying there was some big business deal going down upstairs.I’ll bet you anything the First Order is involved.”

“Sure, pal.”

“Don’t act like I’m crazy!All the workers here are on edge.They know something’s up.”

Ben had heard of the First Order only in whispers and hushed conversations between his parents when they thought he was out of earshot.They were terrorists, he knew, loyalists to the fallen empire with ambitions to establish a new one.If they really were here, Ben should investigate.If he learned something useful he could report it back to his mother, show her that his time was better spent not at the Jedi academy but in the action, using his power instead of suppressing it.Ben pulled up the hood of his robe.He knew what he had to do first: head to the cantina and see what he could hear.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments on the first two chapters! I started writing this way back in January and forgot about it for months but it's great to be back to writing and I'm really excited about were this story is going to go!

ARMITAGE

Armitage found it almost impossible to look at his father, even in holographic form, during the morning briefing.The little black drive was tucked into his pocket, its slight weight a constant reminder of what the man had taken away from him.The elder Hux didn’t seem to notice.He ignored Armitage and spoke directly to Aquila, though even if he had looked at him, the look of loathing on his son’s face wouldn’t have struck him as out of the ordinary.As always, he was focused on the mission and today that mission was going back to meet with the pirates.

“Much as I am loathe to give these low-lifes any of our business, I believe we need to secure that tech, or at least the data stored on it.Pay what they ask and ensure that they deliver in full—”

Commander Aquila opened her mouth to argue but Brendol silenced her with the raising of a singe finger.

“And then, commander, you will blow them to oblivion.Is that understood?I don’t doubt that they’ve already downloaded much of the data from their plunder and are fully intending to sell it to the New Republic.Any information they have taken must die with them.”

Aquila nodded.“Yes sir, General Hux.”

“And Armitage,” the younger Hux bristled as his father finally acknowledged his presence, “your report was sloppy.Worse than usual.”

“I’ll try to do better next time, Father.”He said dryly.He knew his report had been rushed.He had been hurrying to finish it in order to watch Aunty’s message. 

There was a moment of silence in which father and son fixed each other with nearly identical looks of utter, unabashed loathing.Brendol Hux was everything Armitage had to live up to, and everything he feared he would become.Old, soft, vindictive, a pathetic man with too much power.For a moment, Armitage considered saying all that to his face, looking him in the eye and telling him precisely what he thought of him, considered flat out confronting him about taking him away from his mother and keeping her existence a secret for so long.But the time wasn’t right.Armitage might be feeling rebellious for the first time in his life but he wasn’t rash or stupid.If he lashed out now it would just be a bout of impotent childish rage which would lose him whatever respect he had earned from his comrades and provoke his father’s wrath.No, he had to bide his time, to wait until he had the advantage.However long it took, he told himself, the day would come when he could expose his father for the pathetic old man that he was.Perhaps he could even do it with his mother’s help. 

“Are you clear on your duties, Armitage?”Asked Brendol, perhaps noticing that his son’s mind had wandered.

“Yes, Father.We’ll make short work of the pirate scum.”

“Good boy.”The man spoke without a hint of affection.“Now go.Pirates don’t like to be kept waiting.”And with that, the transmission ended.

As the two officers again prepared to head for Scelerus Station, commander Aquila placed a hand on Armitage’s shoulder and handed him a thin blaster-proof vest. 

“You never know with pirates.”She said, patting her own chest.

Armitage nodded solemnly.If the pirates really wanted to kill them, he thought, a vest wouldn’t be nearly enough.Once he had the vest strapped on under his uniform, Armitage and the commander were joined by their trooper escort and boarded their shuttle to Scelerus Station.The pirates were waiting for them in the meeting chamber.

“We’ve considered your terms,” commander Aquila said, striding into the room with her usual air of confidence, “and we’re willing to give you ten thousand credits for all of it.”

The pirate captain smiled.“I’m very glad to hear that the First Order is ready to do business.But ten thousand credits?Surely my collection is worth more than that.If not to you then perhaps to somebody else…”

Aquila placed the case of credits on the table firmly.“Ten thousand is our final offer and you would be wise to take it.The Order wants the tech in your collection and we are willing to pay you for it, but our number-one priority is making sure that nobody else gets their hands on it.Do we understand each other, Captain?”

The pirate acquiesced with a nod.“Of course, Commander.I will accept your offer.Why don’t you come back to my ship, join me for a drink and oversee the transfer yourself?”

“I can send a few troopers to handle that, thank you” said the commander.

But the pirate captain was insistent.“Please,” he said, “it is my tradition to close a deal with a drink.You wouldn’t spit in the face of an old space captain’s traditions, would you?”

Armitage looked uncertainly at the troopers and then at commander Aquila as if to say _should we start shooting?_ And Aquila ever so subtly shook her head _no._

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for such niceties.I will send several troopers to oversee the transfer.We can share a toast over the com once everything is in order.”

The captain shook his head in disappointment.Armitage noticed the other pirates edging closer and moved his hand to the blaster at his belt.

“What a shame, commander.I had so wanted to do this the easy way.”

What happened next happened so quickly it was hard to put it all in order in his memory.The pirates opened fire, hitting commander Aquila in the head.She dropped immediately.Armitage didn’t look closer to confirm that she was dead.He didn’t have to.The troopers were shooting and Armitage pulled his blaster, aiming with all the precision he had learned from years of simulations.Many of the pirates were dead, maybe even most of them, but so were two of the three troopers in their escort and the captain was still alive, barking orders from behind his men. 

And then he was seized by the worst pain he had ever experienced.It was as if a star had gone supernova in his chest.He crumpled to the ground, the small part of his brain that was still able to think through the pain realizing that he had been shot.The blaster-proof vest had saved him from death but hadn’t shielded him entirely.He couldn’t get up and, from what he could tell from the floor, there wasn’t much point in trying.There was nothing left to do but be killed or try and surrender, and he knew better than to think his father would waste resources paying the pirates’ ransom. 

No…there had to be some way out of this. 

He remembered a holo-film he had seen a few years prior, a nature film to teach about different planet’s ecosystems.Some species, when faced with threats too great to fight off, would play dead.Predators would lose interest and go in search of fresher meat.It wasn’t very dignified.His father wouldn’t approve one bit.He would say it was better to die for the Order than live like a coward.But right now, Armitage couldn’t give two shits what his father would think.All he cared about was staying alive and so, stifling his last dignified instinct, he played dead. 

Lying on the floor with his eyes closed, Armitage listened as the last trooper was killed. 

“Tell the gunner to fire on the First Order ship,” said the captain, “and do find somewhere better to put the corpses.I would rather the station personnel not discover them until after we have made our exit.”

The crew all grunted some form of assent.

One of the brigands lifted Armitage roughly and slung him over his shoulder.The pirate’s collarbone struck him hard, right on the spot he had been shot and it took all he had to keep himself silent and limp as another shot of excruciating pain wracked his body. 

“Should we search them before we dump them, boss?”

Armitage’s heart froze.What if the pirates searched him and found his vest, or worse, felt his heartbeat?What if they found Aunty’s drive?He could never find his mother without it. 

“Search the Commander.I wouldn’t waste time on the rest.We need to be gone before the First Order realizes their ship is destroyed and its officers are dead.And we have to keep our date with the resistance.”

“Yessir, captain.I’ll dump the pipsqueak now.”The pirate hefted Armitage again and carried him out of the room. 

He didn’t dare open his eyes to see where he was being taken.It was a short walk down the hall followed by the clanging of some rusty metal door sliding open and the overwhelming smell of garbage. 

“Don’t get stuck on the way down, now.” Muttered the pirate before tossing Armitage unceremoniously into what could only be the garbage chute. 

The moment he was in free-fall, Armitage dropped all pretense of being dead.His arms and legs shot out to the sides wedging against the metal walls of the narrow chute, bringing him to an abrupt, shuddering halt midway down.The opening the pirate had thrown him through had slid closed again and he was in complete darkness.Even braced against the walls of the chute, Armitage could feel himself slipping slowly downward.He had to think of a plan and fast.

If he freed one of his arms he could reach the little standard-issue flashlight on his belt.With that in his mouth he could start easing himself down to search for another way out.Scelerus Station was massive and there had to be more than one access point to the chute.The meeting room had been on the station’s highest level.He had a good twenty or twenty-five floors between himself and the trash pit at the bottom.There had to be another hatch somewhere.Once he found it, getting it open would be another challenge, one he decided he would face when he came to it.

Holding the flashlight tight between his teeth, Armitage began the tricky process of sliding down the shaft in a controlled manner.He knew he ought to be in pain, that he should be terrified, he also knew that his system was coursing with adrenaline, his heart beating at hyperspeed in his ears.He would hurt like hell later but his body wouldn’t—couldn’t give out now. 

He slipped and slid what he guessed was another four stories before he caught sight of another hatch. He was able to slide to a point just below the closed door.Like the one he had been thrown down it was long and narrow and controlled by a button on the outside.Unless someone opened the door for him there was no easy way out and who knew how long that could take.He could feel his arms and legs shaking, ready to give out at any moment.His father had put him through every training sim the Order had, but none had prepared him for this.He made a mental note that if he ever made it back to the _Finalizer_ he would insist they create a how-to-escape-a-garbage-chute training sim. 

For now though, his only option seemed to be to cry for help.There had to be someone in this station who wasn’t a pirate or a traitor.His father would say calling out was unwise and pathetic. _‘Who knows who might answer if you start screaming for help?’_ Brendol would say, probably shaking his head in distain, disappointed but not surprised that his son would think of something so stupid, _‘If the wrong being hears you, it could be far worse than falling to your death.’_ But this was not the first time today that he had done something his father would disapprove of.

“HELP!”He screamed as loud as he could around the flashlight in his mouth, “PLEASE!LET ME OUT!” 

No answer. 

He yelled and yelled until his throat was raw and his body felt like giving out completely.The adrenaline of the first fall was wearing off and fatigue and pain were starting to creep back in.Screaming had been stupid after all, he should have known.What were the odds that anyone could hear him?What were the odds that anyone would help him even if they could?This time, he was sure he was done for.He imagined his father getting the news.The man probably wouldn’t care.He might even be relieved.Then, Armitage thought of his mother.He would never get to meet her now.She would never know that he had seen her message, never know that he was dead.He let the flashlight fall from his mouth and fall, clattering against the sides of the shaft as it disappeared into the pit below, leaving him in pitch-darkness.A final bitter, impotent scream tore out of Armitage’s shredded throat, echoing through the chute. 

He was preparing himself to give up and let go, to embrace death with dignity, when the incredible happened.The hatch slid open and a face appeared.The light was so bright he couldn’t make out any features but he got the impression of youth and of scruffy black hair.It was a human, a boy, he thought, perhaps around his own age.A moment passed and the boy just stared at him.

“You know,” Armitage called up as cooly as he could, trying to save a little dignity despite everything else, “this isn’t quite as comfortable as it looks.”

“Take my hand,” the boy said, reaching an arm down to him.

There was a part of Armitage that didn’t trust the boy not to drop him or be pulled in after him, but he couldn’t see how that could make his situation any worse.He grabbed the boy’s arm and let him take his weight.Armitage wasn’t heavy and it seemed to hurt him more than the other boy as he was hauled out of the garbage chute and into the blinding light of the hall. 

He stumbled on the metal floor, suddenly finding that his legs could not support him.Everything was spinning and the ground was shifting beneath his feet.Every part of his body was burning. 

“I think” he managed, as he collapsed against the other boy’s chest, “I think I might be really hurt.”And then the world faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry for the late update! I had midterms and then spring break and the place I was staying over break had super shit WiFi. I had to write this on my iPad since I didn’t bring my laptop on my trip. Because of that formatting might be a little off and spell checking was much harder than usual. Hope you enjoy!

BEN

  
Everything had been going so well before he found the boy in the garbage chute. Well... not well, exactly. After hours of sitting at the cantina bar listening to the idle gossip of the station employees and attempting to coax them into telling him something useful, he had finally gotten a lead. It wasn’t much but it was something.  
“You must get all kinds of people passing through here,” Ben had said, trying to take a casual sip of his drink without gagging on it —this was his first real drink but there was no way he would let that on.  
“Oh yeah,” said the bar keeper, an exhausted looking rhodian. “Every kind of strange the galaxy has to offer. Pirates, mercenaries, First Order, anyone who wants to do business outside of the Republic’s reach.”  
“What kind of business?” Ben pressed.  
The rhodian raised a scaled brow. “Their own business.”  
“I was just curious,” Ben pouted.  
“Right. Well listen close kid, you’re too young to be mixed up in that kind of thing. I saw a kid not much older than you with the First Order yesterday. All dressed up in one of those strange uniforms. Makes me sad, children fighting and dying for such stupid things.”  
Ben perked up. “You saw the First Order yesterday?”  
“Sure, kid. Like I said, they do business here just like everyone else. I don’t ask them anything besides ‘can I get you a drink’ and ‘can I show you the way to the conference room’. I mind my business around them, and if you see any of them around here, so should you.”  
Again, Ben only heard the parts of the conversation which were important to his investigation. “So you think I might run into any of them here? Today?”  
“If you keep asking questions someone’s going to think you’re a spy. Do you know what people around here do to spies? It’s not good. Can’t you just drink and be quiet?”  
Chastened, Ben took another gulp of his drink, suppressing a shiver at the bitter taste. He knew better than to keep pressing the bartender. He would have to move on soon, before she got suspicious, and at least now he knew, or at least heavily suspected, that the First Order were on Scelerus Station. He changed the subject and and forced himself to finish his drink before leaving.  
He had been pacing the hall outside, trying to decide what to do next when a voice came through the loudspeakers.  
“Attention station staff and guests, a disturbance has been reported in the conference room. For safety reasons the upper levels will be closed to guests until further notice. Until the disturbance has been resolved lift service will be discontinued. We apologize for any inconvenience. This is for your own safety.”  
Ben remembered what the bartender had said about showing the First Order to the conference room when they came for business. If they were still on Scelerus Station it only stood to reason that that was where the were. He had to find out what was happening up in the conference room, to get up there if he could. If the lifts were shut down and the upper levels locked down, he would have to get creative. That was what brought him to the garbage chute.  
He saw the opening to the chute at the far end of the hall, removed enough from the cantina and other attractions that he reckoned he could slip into the hatch without anyone noticing. Climbing up would be the easy part. He had trained his body as well as his mind at his uncle’s academy and bodily control came more easily to him than control over the force. The hard part would be getting out again. If he focused, he knew he could open the hatch with his mind. If that failed he could always use his lightsaber.  
Of course, he never had the chance to test this plan. As he drew closer to the hatch he heard a faint cry. At first he thought he had imagined it. Maybe this was the drink affecting him. But then he heard it again. This time he was sure it was real—a real person’s voice calling for help from inside the garbage chute.  
He wasn’t sure what he expected a person he pulled out of a garbage chute to look like, but this boy certainly wasn’t it. He was around Ben’s age, perhaps a little older, with pale, pointed features and a delicate build. Even under the grime from the chute Ben could tell that he was well dressed in some kind of uniform and that his orange hair had been slicked back neatly at some point. He seemed to be trying to carry himself with a kind of haughty dignity even in his filthy and imperiled state. But Ben didn’t have much time to consider what these things might mean before the boy stumbled into his arms and collapsed.  
This instantly threw Ben into a state of panic. Was he dead? Had the boy just died in his arms? And what was he supposed to do now? He hadn’t seen an indication of any kind of hospital on the station and something told him, though he couldn’t explain how or why, that he shouldn’t turn the boy over to the authorities.  
Gingerly, he lowered the boy down so that he was propped up against the wall. Ben had never had first aid training and it took an embarrassingly long time to find where on the boy’s neck to feel for a pulse. But there was a pulse, strong and regular. He was alive. There was a scorch mark on his chest, a blaster shot that should certainly have been fatal. With shaking fingers, Ben unfastened the boy’s shirt to get a better look at the wound. Now that he knew he wasn’t dead, Ben just hoped he didn’t wake up in the middle of this embarrassing investigation. As Ben peeled back the ruined shirt, something fell out of the breast pocket. It was a little black drive, badly dented and now scorched from the blaster shot. Ben doubted it would work in its current state but nevertheless he tucked it into his pocket. Beneath the grey uniform shirt, the boy was wearing a blaster-proof vest. That explained how he survived the shot. Still, it appeared as though the vest hadn’t absorbed all the damage. It was scorched through and the flesh beneath it was burned an angry red. It wasn’t a fatal wound but it must hurt like hell.  
Now that he was sure the boy wasn’t in any mortal peril, Ben began to search his pockets. People didn’t just end up in garbage chutes, certainly not well groomed young men in official-looking uniforms. And that uniform...there was an insignia on the shoulder, too covered in grime to make out clearly. It was familiar, though he wasn’t sure how. There was an empty blaster holster at the boy’s belt, along with a place for a flashlight and several other devices. There was a small datapad in his pants pocket marked with the same insignia as the shoulder of his uniform. Seeing the symbol without the coating of grime, Ben was even more sure he had seen it before —but where?  
Suddenly, the boy’s grimy hand shot out and grabbed Ben’s wrist startling him so much he had to choke back a scream.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed. His blue eyes were narrowed to slits as he glared up at Ben.  
“Just making sure you’re okay. You are, by the way. You’re welcome.”  
The grip on his wrist didn’t let up one bit. “What does my datapad have to do with that?”  
Ben wracked his brain for an excuse. “I was trying to figure out who you are—who I could call for help for you.”  
The grip loosened a little but the boy was still glaring up at him suspiciously. “Well...don’t.” He said. “I can get back on my own.”  
“Back to the First Order?” It was a gamble but the look of shock and fear on the boy’s face told him everything he needed to know.  
“What’s it to you?” He shot back, “and who are you anyway?”  
“I’m the one who just saved your life.” Said Ben, “or were you in the garbage chute for fun?”  
The boy huffed and sat up a little straighter. He glanced around anxiously before letting go of Ben’s wrist. “Look, if you expect me to give you high level First Order secrets I’m sorry to disappoint you but I don’t have any. I’m just a junior officer. And don’t think you’ll be getting a ransom for me either. My...they have more important things to worry about than getting the likes of me back.” Something in the boy’s tone struck Ben as incredibly sad. He wasn’t sure he believed him that he didn’t know anything, but he knew he wouldn’t get very far by pushing him, at least not in this state.  
“I’m not going to interrogate you,” said Ben, “it’s alright. I’m Ben by the way. What’s your name?”  
“None of your business.”  
Ben sighed. This was going to be difficult. He had half a mind to leave the boy there now that he was awake, to let him fend for himself. But this was probably the best lead he was going to get in his investigation and he knew better than to give that up.  
“Okay,” he said, “fine. Be that way. I was going to be nice, offer you a drink, maybe a ride if your First Order friends aren’t here to take you home but I guess if we aren’t going to trust each other…”  
He saw the boy’s eyes light up at the mention of a ride. “You have a ship?”  
“Yes,” he said, “of course I do. I’m a pilot. Where do you want to go? I won’t take you into the Unknown Regions but I can get you close if you cover the cost of the fuel.” This might actually work —though he hadn’t planned far enough ahead to decide what he would do once he got the boy into his ship. “I don’t give rides to strangers though so if you want to get out of here you’d better tell me your name.”  
The boy seemed to be thinking it over. His hand drifted to his chest, feeling in the breast pocket of his shirt. “The drive...where’s the drive?”  
Ben reached into his robe and produced the ruined black drive. “You looking for this?”  
No sooner had Ben held out the drive than the boy snatched it away jealously. He turned it over and over in his filthy hand, his mouth pursed into a taut line.  
“Armitage.” He said after a long pause. “My name is Armitage. As far as the Order knows I’m dead. I’ll come back and prove them wrong eventually but first I need you to take me somewhere else. I need to get to Arkanis.”  
Ben cracked a smile, a plan starting to form in his mind. “I can do Arkanis. I just need a couple credits for fuel. And you should get changed. You can’t walk around looking like you just crawled out of the Sarlacc pit.”  
“Thank you.” Armitage’s stiff mouth twitched up at the corners. It would be an exaggeration to call it a smile, but his features softened a little and for a moment he almost looked like a normal teenage boy.  
As he helped his new companion to his feet, Ben saw him grimace at the effort only to suppress the pained expression as quickly as it had crossed his features. There was something disturbing about the way Armitage handled pain. And something admirable.  
Ben figured that in a station of this size there had to be some kind of clothing store. He could steal something for Armitage —and something for himself as well. He was still far too recognizable in his robes.  
“So,” he said, as they made their way down the hall, “what’s on Arkanis?”  
“We aren’t doing this,” said Armitage sharply, refusing to meet Ben’s eyes.  
“Doing what?”  
“This. Sharing. I’m not going to ask how someone your age is a pilot or why you’re wearing a bathrobe and you aren’t going to ask me anything about myself. You already know far too much. Alright?”  
“Alright, fine.”  
Ben was taken aback at first but it made sense, he supposed, that a member of the First Order would be guarded. They were probably trained to resist every kind of questioning there was, even the friendly, innocuous kind. In the end though, it didn’t matter what Armitage was planning to do on Arkanis. Ben knew his mother had been working on Arkanis not long ago. As far as he knew, she still was. She wouldn’t be pleased to see him, not at first. But there was no way she could stay angry at him once he delivered a hostage from the First Order. Armitage obviously knew more than he was letting on and even if he wouldn’t talk to Ben, he would certainly tell the great General Organa whatever she asked. With a gift like that to demonstrate his talent as a spy, surely his mother couldn’t force him to go back to the Jedi Academy. She would have to realize that his skills were best used elsewhere. As his plan solidified, Ben had to fight back a smile. This was all going so much better than he could have hoped.  
As the two young men entered the crowd of the station’ s main hall, Ben noticed Armitage glancing around anxiously.  
“Do you think we could handle wardrobe later?” He hissed. “I think we’d better head to your ship.”  
Ben was about to open his mouth to ask why when someone shouted from across the room, “HEY! What’s the little red-haired one doing out here alive?!”  
“Shit!” Armitage hissed, grabbing Ben’s hand and nearly giving him a heart attack. “We need to get out of here. NOW.”  
Before he knew what was happening, Ben was running, pulled along by Armitage who was remarkably fast for someone who had been unconscious less than ten minutes earlier.  
The crowd parted as they ran, pursued by several grey-faced aliens waving blasters.  
“Who are they? Why are they chasing you?” Ben shouted as they ran.  
“I’ll tell you when they aren’t on our heels, okay? Where’s your ship?”  
“Um-“ Ben fumbled for his parking chip. “The parking structure. Number 460.”  
From the look Armitage was giving him, Ben could tell that didn’t mean a thing to the other boy.  
“Just get on the shuttle!” He shouted.  
“You aren’t getting out of this alive!” One of the Aliens shouted after Armitage. “You’ll be rotting with the rest of your crew soon enough!”  
Ben flinched as a blaster was fired into the air, further scattering the crowd. A few steps ahead, Armitage was shoving people out of the way as he sprinted toward the a stuttle which was already closing its doors. He jumped into the shuttle at the last minute, pulling Ben in after him and nearly toppling him as he collapsed to his knees heaving.  
“I don’t suppose you have a blaster on you?” He managed.  
“No.” said Ben “sorry.”  
“Don’t apologize to me,” said Armitage staggering back to his feet. “You’re as doomed as I am if they catch us now.”  
“Who are they?” Ben pressed. “And why are they trying to kill us?”  
“Pirates.” said Armitage, “We were supposed to trade with them, but they double crossed us. Killed my commanding officer and the troopers with us. They would have killed me too if—“ he looked at Ben with something like gratitude in his eyes.  
This was the most Armitage had divulged since they met. And the first time he’d acknowledged out loud that Ben had saved him.  
Ben would have marveled at that if a blaster bolt didn’t tear through the ceiling just a few feet down the car.  
“How long did you say this would take?” Armitage asked, already backing away from the spot where the pirates were blasting their way through the ceiling of the train.  
“I didn’t,” said Ben “but it wasn’t more than ten minutes.”  
“Right. Alright. Fuck.” Armitage was looking around at the other terrified passengers of the shuttle, backing up further and further like a cornered prey animal. “That’s too long. This rust bucket won’t keep them out that long and we can’t outrun them here. Not with all these people. How do you not have a blaster?” He snapped, glaring at Ben as if it was his fault the pirates were after them at all.  
“Shut up!” Ben shouted back. He really, really didn’t want to have to use his lightsaber. “It’s not like you have one either!”  
“I did have a blaster but I must have lost it when I got shot in the fucking chest!”  
He had a point there. “Wait,” Ben said, something dawning on him which should have been obvious, “there’s a tunnel.”  
“What?”  
“This thing goes through a tunnel. The shuttle doesn’t have to keep them out for ten minutes, just until we get into the tunnel. Then they won’t be able to stay on the roof.”  
A relieved murmur rippled through the shuttle as the other passengers realized this too.  
“So how long—“ Armitage started to ask just as the ceiling collapsed half-way down the car, scattering people and debris as the pirates crashed into view.  
“Get out of the way!” One of them shouted at the passengers, “clear away from the First Order brat and no one else has to get hurt.”  
The passengers all crowded toward the door furthest from the pirates, leaving the two boys completely exposed.  
Ben looked back at Armitage, at his face, white under the filth from the garbage chute. He obviously realized that there was nowhere left for him to run, no way for him to defend himself. His eyes were wide with blind, doomed terror.  
“Get out of the way, Ben,” he said in a surprisingly steady voice, “thank you for trying to help, but they just want me. Let’s not waste any time.”  
“No.” said Ben, not believing what he was hearing. Was Armitage, fresh from the ranks of the First Order, cold and disciplined as a toy soldier, really ready to sacrifice himself? Could it really be? “No way.”  
And then he did something he didn’t mean to do, something he didn’t even know he could do. His hands shot out in front of him and power coursed through his body like it never had before. He had never felt the Force like this, a hot wave of raw energy crashing over him and through him and out of him toward the pirates. The car shook violently as a crack opened in the floor. His eyes met his assailants’ in that moment, and he felt as shocked as they looked as the crack widened to a chasm and the whole shuttle car split in half. The back part of the vehicle skidded to a screeching halt, with the pirates still desperately trying to cling on to it as the front part with Armitage, Ben, and the rest of the passengers sped on, still attached to the rest of the shuttle.  
Dazed and drained by the energy he had just expended, Ben turned around to see the passengers cowering, shying away from him in terror. Even Armitage had drawn back, his face completely blanched of color. It seemed to take him a long time to find words as his mouth opened and closed silently. When he did speak, his voice was quiet and hoarse.  
“What...the fuck...was that?” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the late update! I had this chapter written and sitting on my computer waiting for edits forever! Now that school is calming down updates should become more regular?

ARMITAGE 

Armitage was no stranger to the Force and the harm its users could do.He had seen Supreme Leader Snoke choke the life out of officers without so much as rising from his throne.He had felt the air crackle with power when the Supreme Leader was angry just as it had a moment ago when Ben tore the shuttle car apart.Every time he had felt that energy something terrible happened, and even though Ben had saved his life, he felt the same terror welling up inside him.He wasn’t sure what to make of the other boy.Ben had saved him twice now but at the same time there was something unsettling about him, something deeper and more subtle than his ability with the Force.Armitage had been slapped around enough to recognize a violent person when he met one, and around enough secrets to know when someone was hiding something.Then again, he was hiding things too, and he was not above violence by any means.He and Ben were not so different, and right now, they had a common interest.

Armitage realized that he had been staring at Ben for several seconds now, and Ben was staring back, looking almost as concerned as Armitage felt.

“I—“ he said, looking back and fourth between Armitage and the now open back of the shuttle.“You weren’t supposed to see that.”He sounded more embarrassed than anything.

“We should hurry,” Armitage said, deciding it was better not to push the subject.“Those pirates are still alive and they’ll be telling their friends where we are.How badly does your ship need fuel?”

The other boy seemed to be doing the math in his head.“We’ll be lucky to get out of this system if we don’t top up.”

Armitage nodded, clasping his hands behind his back and beginning to pace as he tried to think.“If we get out fast enough we could refuel at the next depot.It’s not as if the pirates know what your ship looks like.If they don't see us they can’t track us.”

Ben gave a nod and looked back, behind Armitage to the other passengers who were still cowering by the door to the next car.He couldn’t blame them for being terrified.Most of them had probably never seen someone use the Force in person, let alone someone with so much latent power.Still the other boy looked miserable.They remained in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the ride, though Armitage did move closer to Ben so that he wasn’t standing quite so alone (it wasn’t to be nice, of course, it simply made sense to try and keep his personal bomb of Force energy in a better mood).

As they pulled into the parking structure, they were greeted by more shocked faces from people waiting for the shuttle.At least there weren’t any pirates waiting for them.Armitage was beyond relieved.His whole body ached and he didn’t think he had another sprint in him.As passengers hurried off the shuttle car, he couldn’t help but notice those of them that ran into the arms of waiting friends or family, no doubt crying to them about the horrors they had just witnessed.It was such an alien thing to Armitage, to seek comfort in someone else’s arms.He wondered if he would do that when he met his mother, if his body would know how to do it.

“Well,” he said brusquely, “let’s go.” 

Without even thinking, he reached out and clapped Ben lightly on the shoulder.It was a little thing, something a hundred different officers must have done to him to get him going, but Ben seemed startled by it, as if he didn’t expect Armitage to dare touch him after everything that had just happened.The other boy’s face flitted from shock to relief to hardened determination. 

“Yeah,” his dark hair bounced against his cheeks as he nodded resolutely.“Come on, it’s this way.”

They almost made it to the ship without incident.Indeed, the two got within view of the ship before things went to shit.Ben had just pointed out his ship, a cargo freighter which looked a little the worse for ware. _No guns on it either,_ Armitage had noted tacitly.He was about to make some scathing comment about the vessel when they heard another blaster shot.Pirates.More of them.Probably ten or fifteen.The captain wasn’t with them, Armitage noted. 

“If you stop running right now we might be persuaded to take you two alive.”One of the pirates called from across the parking structure.They must have been tipped off by the ones on the shuttle.Though they were too far to reach them now, they were running fast and gaining ground.

There had been a moment on the shuttle car when Armitage had weighed his options and decided it just wasn’t worth fighting anymore.He had been cornered with no way out and no weapon.It didn’t make sense to let more people be killed when the inevitable result would still be his own death.Now though, now he had options.It was true Armitage didn’t have another sprint in him but he didn’t need to.

“Ben,” he said, his voice falling into a flat, authoritative voice that was eerily similar to his father’s, “I need you to use the force again.”

“What?” Ben looked flabbergasted. 

“Do what you did before —but the opposite.Pull one of them closer to us.”

“W-why?”

“I want his blaster.”

For a moment Ben looked like he might try to protest, then he set his heavy brows and nodded.He looked terrifically ominous when he did that.He reached out with one hand closed his eyes. 

A moment and then another passed and nothing happened.The pirates were gaining on them, the next shot they fired striking a ship just a few feet away. 

“Come on!”Armitage shouted, his cool demeanor slipping in a moment of unfiltered anger and anxiety.“If you’re going to be a freak can’t you at least be a useful one?” 

The look Ben gave him made him think for a moment that the boy was going to throw him instead.Instead, the pirate closest to them flew forward, hitting the ground in front of Armitage hard enough to stun him.

“I guess it only works when you’re angry.”Armitage said, the brusqueness returning to his voice. 

He snatched up the pirate’s blaster and shot the brigand through the back in one fluid motion.Now that he had a weapon again he felt infinitely more confident.More like himself. 

He looked at Ben, still standing there looking like he couldn’t decide weather he was angry or exhilarated.“Get your rust-bucket up and running.I’ll deal with them.”

This time Ben obeyed without comment, running to the ship and leaving Armitage to turn his attention back to their attackers.The blaster he had taken from the pirate wasn’t close to the quality of the standard issue First Order weapons, but the weight of it in his hands and the kick of the shots he fired off felt so right and natural he felt like he was right back in a training sim.He shifted slightly to take cover behind another parked ship and fired off shot after shot, each one finding home.

A hot bolt of energy shot by mere inches from his cheek.He returned fire, dropping the pirate who shot at him.The parking bay fell quiet and he was almost ready to celebrate his victory when he heard the crackle of a com-link coming to life a yard or so away.

“We found them, Captain.The first order brat and his Jedi friend.We couldn’t get them here but they’re about to take off in a freighter.Old boxy one.If we bring the ship round we’ll have no trouble taking ‘em out.”

Armitage crept our from behind his cover to get a shot at the brigand. 

“This port is full of boxy old freighters you fool.Tell me something useful.”

The pirate looked up from his com to examine the ship and spotted Armitage just a moment too late. 

Once he had killed the last pirate he straightened up and turned back to the ship. 

“Ben!Let’s go.They’ll be looking for your ship, we don’t have much time.”

Ben’s face appeared in the entry hatch, “She’s all ready.I put in the coordinates for the next fuel depot.You’d better be able to pay when we get there.And stop ordering me around.”

“Who’s paying whom, flyboy?As long as you’re in my employ I think I have every right to give you orders.”Armitage cocked his eyebrow at Ben as he strode forward.Ben rolled his eyes and disappeared deeper into the depths of the ship.

“Excuse me sir!” 

The tinny voice coming from behind startled Armitage almost to the point of losing his cool again.He whipped round to see a small, round parking droid. 

“Go away.”He ordered it in a warning tone.They didn’t have time for this, not now, and he certainly didn’t have the credits.

“You have incurred approximately two thousand credits in damages to other guests’ vehicles.How would you like to make your payment?”

“Go.Away.”He repeated, more menacingly this time.

“If you refuse to pay, I will be forced to alert station security.”

“What are you doing out there?”Ben shouted from inside the ship.“We’ve got to go!”

Armitage sighed and shot the little droid out of the air.He didn’t relish wasting ammunition on a harmless droid but Ben was right, time was of the essence.

Ben was waiting for him in the cockpit.The ship looked even worse on the inside.Armitage supposed it made sense that a young pilot like Ben would have a cheap ship, but he couldn’t believe anyone would risk the vacuum of space in such a craft.

“You’d better sit down,” warned Ben, nodding to the seat beside him, “this thing is rough on takeoff.”

Rough was an understatement.Armitage tried not to let Ben see him clutching the sides of his seat for dear life and did his best to suppress the bile that rose in his throat (thankfully he had not eaten in at least 24 hours and there was nothing to come up. At least Ben really was a competent pilot.They shot out of Scelerus Station, dodging around the line of ships trying to dock.Armitage had never been so close to the cockpit of a ship before.It was a much more bodily experience than any he’d had on a First Order ship.He felt every jerk and turn of the freighter, every rumble of protest from its engine.Watching Ben maneuver the freighter around the oncoming ships at breakneck speed was exhilarating.There was no other word for it.

Indeed, as the initial fear wore off he realized a smile had snuck onto his face.Ben looked over at him, wearing a sly girn.He didn’t look like he smiled often, but the expression sat well on him. 

“Not bad.”Armitage said, trying not to sound breathless.”With that total disregard for safety and speed limits we might actually outrun the pirates after all.”

“We’d better,” said Ben, his smile faltering a bit,“I’m pretty sure this thing doesn’t have any guns.”

“You’re pretty sure?Isn’t this your ship?”

“It doesn’t have any guns.”Ben amended, “It’s a new ship.I’m still getting used to it.”

Armitage cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. 

“You were pretty good with that blaster back there,” said Ben, “I guess the First Order train their officers well.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Armitage let a little mirth enter his voice.“We like to be prepared for everything.You have to be with the galaxy in the state it is.”

Suddenly an idea dawned on him, one so brilliant he couldn’t suppress the gasp that rose in his throat.

“What?”Asked Ben, “What is it?”

“I think I can fix it so we don’t have to worry about the pirates anymore.Do you still have my datapad?I need it back.”

At that Ben frowned suspiciously.“what for?”

“Well firstly its mine and I want it,” he said indignantly, “and secondly because there’s a bomb on the pirate’s ship and I can detonate it from my datapad.”

He saw a spark of interest in the other boy’s face but it didn’t cancel out the suspicion.“How do I know you won’t just call in more of your First Order friends?Deal with the pirates and me?”

Armitage sighed.This was ridiculous.“I wouldn’t do that,” he snapped, “I’ve hired you for a job, haven’t I?And besides, I’m not your prisoner.I can do what I want.”

He stared down the other boy with all the imperiousness he could muster.He had never met someone so infuriating in his life.

Ben relented with a sigh.“Fine.” he said, producing the little standard-issue datapad from his robes.“But you shouldn’t keep that around.It could be tracked.”

Armitage hated that Ben was right.“I’ll launch it out the airlock when I’m finished.”

“Your uniform too.”The other boy was looking out the front window, obviously avoiding Armitage’s eye.“I think there’s some spare clothes in the back.”

He sighed.“Right.Fine.Bomb first, striptease later.”

It wasn’t hard to find the detonator that Commander Aquila had installed on the datapad.He offered a quiet _thank you_ to his fallen commanding officer as he punched in the code.A countdown appeared on the screen.

“Ten seconds,” he said to Ben.

“You think we’ll see an explosion if it works?”

“It’ll work.”

_Eight seconds_ …

“And how…big is this bomb supposed to be?”

“I don’t know.Big enough to wipe out their cargo bay.”

“What’s in the cargo bay?”

Armitage thought of Aunty again and tried to suppress the guilt that shoved its way into the back of his brain.“Nothing you should concern yourself with.” 

_Five seconds…_

“Any sign of them?”He asked.

“Not yet,” said Ben, checking a monitor. 

Armitage walked to the back of the little freighter where, through the rear-facing viewports he could just make out Scelerus Station.Sure enough he couldn’t see any sign of their pursuers. 

Suddenly, silently, a ball of light and fire burst from the side of the station, extinguished by the vacuum of space.The bomb had gone off alright, and it had taken half of Scelerus Station with it.

“What was that?”Ben demanded, he sounded —not angry so much as horrified at what Armitage had just done.

“They must not have pulled away from the station yet.” 

Armitage spoke quietly, trying to grasp what had just happened.He thought of all the terrified passengers on the shuttle with them, all the people waiting for them on the platform.Maybe they were safe?But what if they weren’t?His father would call them _collateral_.He wasn’t sure he was ready to do that. 

“How many people do you think—“ Ben started to ask what Armitage couldn’t—wouldn’t consider.He shook his head, and Ben stopped.

Armitage turned around to face the other boy who looked as mortified as he felt.When the two locked eyes it was a tacit agreement not to talk about it anymore.They had to get out.That was all.

Silently, in an almost funereal manner, they launched the datapad and all of Armitage’s clothes out of the airlock.As he stood, wearing only his underwear with all his pale, burned flesh exposed, he didn’t feel embarrassed.Ben stood beside him, not looking at him but not avoiding his eye either. _Companionable_.That was the word for it. _A companionable silence._  

Only after the last vestiges of the only life Armitage had ever known had disappeared into the vacuum did the moment end.Ben clapped him on the shoulder, the same brusque touch Armitage had used to nudge him on earlier.

“You should find some clothes,” he said, “we’ll be at the fuel depot in under an hour.If you show up naked it might arouse some suspicion.”


End file.
